Holden Caulfield Patient File: Psychological Evaluation An overview of your Catcher Reading Talking to the Text AND final essay *this project does not include the essay you will be doing after we finish this book

Things you need to know:  You will read Catcher as if you are Holden’s chief psychologist, as he tells his story following his Christmas in  As you read, you will use the notes you take from this and keep track of symptoms.  In the end you will write an essay ‘proving’  What psychological disorder, if any, does Holden exhibit symptoms of? If you decide he does NOT have a disorder you will prove what he IS exhibiting.

Options for diagnosis:  Clinical depression  Post Traumatic Stress Disorder  Antisocial Personality Disorder  Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety/Depression  GRIEF…not mental disorder  Normal teenager !!??

Normal stages of GRIEF  1. Denial and Isolation  2. Anger at the “universe” God, people, doctors, etc.  3. Bargaining …guilt…”If only I’d been…”  4. Depression  5. Acceptance (not everyone reaches this phase)

Grief symptoms  Abnormal eating patterns  Anger  Confusion or feeling disoriented  Physical aches and pains without cause  Tight chest  Isolation or great desire to be alone  Exhaustion and sleeplessness or excessive sleep

Clinical Depression  Can be either genetic or caused by environmental factors  Can be made worse when there is stress, mentally or financially  Sad mood/emptiness/hopelessness  Lack of enjoyment in activities that were once fun  Lack of energy & motivation  Difficulty paying attention/focusing  Suicidal thoughts  Anger outburst/short temper  Insomnia  Unintentional weight gain/loss

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms  A traumatic incident causes fear/ helplessness afterwards  Nightmares/insomnia  Obsessive thoughts  Flashbacks (remembering the trauma)  Avoidance of situations that are similar to the trauma experienced  Increased overall anxiety  Questioning safety

Antisocial Personality Disorder  Anger towards/difficulty with authority  Social awkwardness or discomfort with peers  Cruelty to animals  Impulsiveness  Irresponsibility  Difficulty with conformity/following rules  History of lying/deceitfulness  Angry outbursts/irritation/physical violence  Inability to respond to or feel empathy others’ feelings  High levels of judgmental opinions toward others

Adjustment disorder with Anxiety or with Depression  A stressful event causes someone’s life to change in a way that is unhealthy  Some stressful events include divorce, death, a move, break-up, etc.  Nervousness/worry/fear of the future  Depressed mood/fearfulness/loss of hope  Social withdrawal or ‘loner’ syndrome.  Lack of progress in school

Your task = what you will write an essay on when we finish reading.  As you read, imagine you are a psychologist in therapy listening to what brought Holden to the hospital for observation and testing…look for symptoms of the disorders we took notes on.  You’ll need to diagnose Holden at the end of the book.  Keep your notes in your packet each time your read tracking behaviors/symptoms AND page # of ‘proof’ or evidence.